Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili with KOMEX Deputy Director Boniface Makau. Photo GVN Press. 
By Governor’s Press.
The Kenya National Multi Commodities Exchange Limited (KOMEX) is set to revolutionize agricultural trading in Makueni County through the introduction of a new digital platform integrated with the Warehouse Receipt System.
This development was revealed during a courtesy call on Tuesday by a team from KOMEX, led by Deputy Director Boniface Makau, to Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili.
The innovative platform is designed to streamline market access for both agricultural and non-agricultural commodities.
It will also provide essential services such as price discovery, risk management, market data, trade financing, and a range of other trade-support systems—creating a more transparent and structured trading environment.
KOMEX, a state corporation under the State Department for Trade, has a mandate to enhance market access and eliminate inefficiencies in commodity trading across the country.
Currently in its onboarding phase, the platform targets a wide array of stakeholders, including farmers, aggregators, cooperatives, traders, warehouse operators, financial institutions, off-takers, service providers, and institutional buyers.
Makueni was praised by the KOMEX delegation for its leadership in pulse production—particularly green grams, cowpeas, and pigeon peas—key commodities expected to benefit significantly from the new system.
Through the platform, farmers will be able to list their produce along with preferred selling prices, enabling buyers to make direct payments to the sellers' bank accounts within 48 hours. This mechanism is expected to expedite transactions and curb exploitation by middlemen.
Deputy Governor Mulili welcomed the initiative and emphasized the urgent need for national legislation to enhance storage infrastructure at the county level.
She pointed out that the lack of adequate storage facilities often leaves farmers exposed to post-harvest losses and price manipulation, calling for stronger collaboration between county and national governments to close the gap.
